


Deanna's Christmas

by allysonandrews1982 (FonzFan82)



Series: Family Ties [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-06 12:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8751736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FonzFan82/pseuds/allysonandrews1982
Summary: Christmas is on its way. Deanna comes up with an idea: why not invite Gloria to come from South Carolina to Edgewater Terrace to spend the holidays? What would Gloria say?





	1. Chapter 1

Deanna Bush had an idea. Why not invite her good friend Gloria Presley out to Edgewater Terrace for Christmas? The idea came to her mind a second ago. That’s when she called Gloria in South Carolina.

It had been a while since the two women had talked, and now it looked to Deanna now seemed to be a perfect time to catch up a bit.

She found her phone and punched in her friend’s number and wait for somebody to pick up.

Yes, Gloria was home. 

“Hello?” was the first word Deanna heard.

“Hi, Gloria.”

“Hi, Deanna. I was just thinking about you. How have you been?”

Deanna finally put a smile on her face when she spoke.

“I am good, thank you for asking, Gloria. There is something I would like to ask you.”

“I’m listening. What’s the question?”

“I am calling to see if you would like to come to Edgewater Terrace for the Christmas holiday.”

“That is a good idea, Deanna! I would like that. It has been a while.”

“Yes, it has been. That’s why I called you.”

“I will need to think about it, but will get back to it. Both John and Travis invited me to spend the holiday with them and now you.”

“I had no idea you had lots of invitations, Gloria. I shall to hear back on what your answer will be.”

“I plan to do so, Deanna. Are Samuel and Anita coming over?”

“Of course they are. I usually get together with Mom and Dad over the holidays and birthdays. I shall tell them I invited you for the Christmas holiday. They would like that.”

“That’s for sure. Tell them both I said hello.”

“I will, Gloria. It was nice hearing your voice again.”

Gloria did agree with her friend.

“I will either call or text when I have an answer,” Gloria told her.

“All right. Have a nice rest of your day.”

“Same to you.”

That was the end of their conversation.

After the telephone call with Gloria, Deanna looked at the clock. The time told her it was now ten – forty – nine in the morning.

It was a Friday afternoon, and since Gloria is retired, there was no way she would be at work. Once again Deanna picked up the phone and called up her folks. They indeed were home.

Both Samuel and Anita were able to talk with their only child. It was Samuel who answered her call this time.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hello, sweetheart. How has your morning coming along?”

“It is well, thank you for asking.”

Both Samuel and Anita were still living in California, so Deanna can see them whenever she can. 

“There is something I would like to ask you.”

“Do you need your mother in one this one also?”

“Not right now, Dad. I will take care of that on my own.”

It was only two weeks until Christmas was nearing. Deanna has done a little bit of shopping, but she needed to do some more when she can, and now wouldn’t because she didn’t feel like it today.

“I am listening, my dear. What sort of question you have in mind?”

She could tell her father had her full attention.

Then she spoke.

“I just had a conversation with Gloria. I actually invited her to spend the Christmas holiday with us.”

“That was nice to invite her. Has she said anything about it?”

“Yes, she did. She mentioned both Travis and John invited her also, and she wants time to think about this.”

“Even if she says no, we will be fine without her.”

“I know. I thought I would invite her anyway. You can share this with Mom.”

“Okay. She is in town right now, so it will take a while to talk with her.”

Deanna understood.

“I will talk with you again.”

She hung up after she said good – bye. Now it was time to do her laundry.


	2. Chapter 2

Gloria was able to talk to John and Travis about Deanna and her invitation.

“Mom, I thought it was going to be us.”

That was John who spoke.

“Cynthia and Zachary have already told me earlier this morning they would celebrate the holiday with Catherine this year,” Gloria told her sons.

“Okay. If you want to see Ms. Bush, why not wait until Christmas is over?”

“Listen, John. I haven’t seen or talked with Deanna recently, so it would be nice to see her during this holiday season. I am sixty – eight, and not a child.”

Gloria had a point, both John and Travis saw. They didn’t bother to reply back on that one. Neither of them wanted to turn this into an argument.

Gloria said that with a tone of voice both men noticed, but it had been a while since they had heard it.

John and Travis didn’t bother saying anything right away, so they let her continue what else she had to say.

It turned out Gloria was done speaking.

“Mom, I have to get a move on. I am supposed to meet Jennifer at the house. We are eating out,” Travis told her.

“All right. Have a nice evening and tell her hello from me.”

Jennifer was his wife. She had been a good wife to him, and also helps him with a lot of things he couldn’t do much because of his disability.

Travis doesn’t drive too much, so this is why she does most of the work.

John stuck around a while longer before heading home to his wife, Jessica. Around this time of year, John and Jessica celebrate their wedding anniversary because they married in this month of December.

“I will share with Jessica on what we have just talked about.”

“She doesn’t need to know, does she, John?”

“I have told her that I would let her know what you had to say about Christmas and Ms. Bush. She did mention she was looking forward to seeing you again.”

“You can tell her what.”

“What’s on your mind for me to share?” John asked, still giving Gloria his full eye contact. He tries his best to look at her when one of them speaks.

“You are welcome to have Jessica and Derek come stay for supper tonight if she wants to.”

“I will pass this to her. I will get back to you when she has an answer.”

“Fine with me.”

Derek is John’s child. Gloria thought recently that Derek would be a brother if John and Jessica decide to have another child or two. Yes, Derek can be spoiled sometimes, especially when it comes to birthday and Christmas.

“I think Travis has a good point, Mom. I will stand now and get ready to see my wife. She wants to hang out with Jennifer at dinner tonight. Maybe next time we will be able to join you.”

“All right, John. It was nice seeing you and Travis for a while. Drive carefully.”

“I always do, Mom. You should know that by now.”

Gloria could not think of anything else to say, so she stood up from her couch so she could see John to his car.

“Mom, you don’t have to walk me to my car.”

“I want to, dear. Nothing wrong with that.”

He didn’t say anything after that. Both mother and son hugged one another, and then he was out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not forgotten my other stories here, but I only will post updates on my Christmas stories. I still have a lot going on with family, but I will update when I can on my other stories.


	3. Chapter 3

Back in Edgewater, Deanna started thinking about Gloria again and was wondering whereabouts she was on thinking about all of these Christmas invitations she’s been receiving, but decided not to keep asking her that. Just be patient, Deanna told herself, and sometimes she is.

Let’s just see how much longer she would have to wait. Then Deanna thought about telling Anita about this if Samuel didn’t tell her. Since she’s a grown woman, she could do that on her own.

So she drove over to where her parents live. Since Anita wasn’t there to hear Deanna’s invitation about Gloria, she thought today was a good idea. Both Samuel and Anita are retired, but they usually are home most of the time unless Anita finds some volunteer work. Deanna was happy that Anita finds ways to stay busy, and same with her father. Deanna doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon, since she’s still too young. She knows about early retirement, but she doesn’t want to do that.

Deanna played the radio with Christmas songs on her way to her parents’ place. She sang along with “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” That’s when she was able to pull up in the driveway of her parents’ house.

Once she got out of the car, she took the keys out of the ignition and then headed to her parents’ front door. Then she rang the doorbell.

“I’ll get it!” she heard Samuel yell.

He opened the door. 

“Hi, sweetheart. Come on in,” he welcomed her.

“Thanks, Dad. Have you told Mom about my invitation to Gloria?”

He shook his head and answered, “No. That’s up to you, not me.”

“Right.”

He closed the door behind his daughter. Anita was somewhere around the house.

“Anita!”

Deanna heard some footsteps, which sounded like her mother’s. Anita joined them in the living room.

“Hello, Deanna.”

Anita walked closer to where Deanna was standing and gave her a hug. Deanna returned it.

“Hi, Mom. I’m sure Dad probably told you I was here not too long ago.”

Anita nodded and said, “Yes, he did. You said something about Christmas, Samuel?”

“I sure did. Deanna, tell your mother what you told me.”

So Deanna did.

“It’s up to you on this, Deanna. This is your idea, so you will be in charge.”

Since Deanna is now an adult, she still feels like she has to tell her mother and father on what ideas like this pop up in her head.

Deanna didn’t tell her friends where she was going today, but somehow she got a phone call from Gloria. Samuel told her the telephone call was for her.

Deanna figured it was Gloria, and she was right. She took the phone from her father.

“Thanks, Dad. I guess Gloria tried calling me when I wasn’t at home.”

“Looks that way,” he agreed.

Once he left the kitchen, she said, “Hi, Gloria.”

“Deanna, I tried calling your house. Since you didn’t answer, I thought I would try it here and see if you were here at your folks’ place.”

“You called at the right place. Did you find your answer?”

“I did.”

“What’s the answer I should know about?”

“I’ve decided to stay with John and Travis for Christmas since they invited me first.”

“That’s all right. Family comes first,” Deanna agreed.

“Yes. Maybe next time.”

That’s when she and Gloria hung up. Deanna rejoined her father and mother once again in the living room.

“Gloria decides not to come here to Edgewater for Christmas. Her sons John and Travis invited her first,” Deanna told them.

“Family is what’s most important during the holidays,” Anita agreed as her father nodded.

“At least you gave it a shot.”

“True.”


End file.
